


Goodnight Sweetheart

by Liebelit



Category: Tin Man (2007)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-19 08:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3602502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liebelit/pseuds/Liebelit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a lighthearted dance where Cain realizes his feelings for his headcased friend, he begins to notice there's something else wrong with Glitch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is also being posted in ff.net and in livejournal, though with very different summaries because this was meant to be a one-shot at first but then turned into something else. Since this is my first time posting here I thought I should put up my first Cain/Glitch story ^_^

Cain tugged on his collar for what must have been the thirtieth time that night; and the ball was just getting started.  
He kept close to the wall, not wanting to get sucked into the mass of people on the dance floor as he made his way across it to reach the tables of assorted food and drinks on the other side of the room. He had never been the life of the party, not even when he was young and carefree—or as carefree as he could get—and had Adora to encourage him. So Cain let out an inward sigh of relief when he was free of the large crowd of mingling lords and ladies and was able to simply get a drink. 

It wasn’t as if this part of the grand ballroom was deserted either. There were various men and women, mostly on the older, single side, grabbing and tasting their fill of the O.Z.’s best pastries and wine; but most of the royal family’s guests were out on the dance floor at the moment, spinning in elegant twirls to the waltz that played across the room. Spheres of warm, golden light suspended high above the floor as if by magic—very probably by magic—illuminated the dancing crowd below, catching on the men’s slick suits and the women’s glittering dresses. Somewhere among that great tumult of people was the royal family itself, dancing happily as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

It had been only a week since the defeat of the witch but after the most pressing matters had been dealt with, after innocent people were freed from the dungeons and those same cells were filled with the remaining longcoats, the Queen’s—or rather DG’s—first decree was that there was to be a ball. Cain had wanted to skip the celebration parties and get right to business; after all, a kingdom wouldn’t rebuild itself through waltz and pretty lights. The Queen agreed, but after such a long time of darkness and pain all she wanted was happiness and pretty lights for at least one night before the hard work began again. DG had insisted, Raw had felt his uncertainty but had been happy nonetheless, and Glitch, of course, had been thrilled as a puppy. 

Cain had at least wanted to be in the security detail, but his friends, and the upmost ruler of the Kingdom, had said no to that as well. 

So now here he was, stuck in a party he didn’t particularly agree with even though he couldn’t deny the Queen and her family their night of happiness; though he could have done without the suit and the stiff collar. And he really missed his hat. 

He was fidgeting with his formal dress shirt yet again when he heard a quizzical low rumble beside him and saw a tuft of light hair from the corner of his eye.

“Cain uncomfortable,” Raw said as he reached for a sugary glazed pastry next to the wine Cain was serving himself, “Not like ball?” 

“Let’s just say this isn’t my kind of party.” Not many parties were his kind of party, but if he had to have one he would have definitely preferred one where he knew more than seven people out of hundreds. Out on the dance floor, the formal waltz ended and gave way to a faster, almost chaotic sort of music. It almost reminded Cain of the songs they had played at his home town during festivities; songs that were meant to be danced to in whatever way people’s bodies took them, following their own rhythm, instead of the practiced and precise steps of formal dances.

The thought of rhythm had Cain glancing at dance floor once more after downing his drink, almost smirking in amusement at the confused couples who stopped dancing when the unfamiliar music came on. Through the dumbfounded guests though, he spotted DG dancing like a leaf in the wind, moving to the loud sharp beats of the strange music and taking Jeb, his poor son who had been forced into the same situation as him, with her; though his son didn’t seem to mind his current position at all. 

Cain, on the other hand, was getting rather—

“Bored?” Raw guessed, biting into a small pineapple cake, tiny crumbs falling into his combed beard,

“There are so many better things I could be doing right now.”

“Cain looking for someone... Thinking of...” the viewer trailed off as he leaned minutely closer to Cain, who leaned just a little further into the side of the table, “Glitch.”

“I am not thinking of Glitch.” Cain said decisively, 

“Thinking of rhythm,”

“It’s not the same thing, Raw.”

As if to challenge his point, Glitch burst through the now sparse bodies on the dance floor with a half-amused, half-nervous-wreck Azkadellia in hand shouting for all the O.Z. to hear, “It’s all about rhythm! It’s in my soul, Azkadee, I am the rhythm!” 

Despite her uncertainties and issues, the eldest princess was smiling and even laughing at Glitch’s antics, and for that, Cain felt pretty damn proud of his zipperhead. A few moments later, the music changed again, giving way to a much more calm and familiar-sounding song; not something that sounded at times like a dying cat that DG had brought over from some dark corner of the Otherside. The previously staggered guests returned to the center of room and took their partners in hand once again; some closer than others as this wasn’t such a formal dance as the first one. 

Cain saw as the Queen’s consort gently tapped Glitch’s shoulder—asking to dance with his daughter now that his wife was dancing with some dignitary from Central—and Glitch’s subsequent smile and polite nod. Cain turned back to the table, his sanctuary for the night, and poured himself another drink, trying not to think about how he had been thinking about Glitch. 

Raw was right, whether he liked it or not. Maybe it hadn’t been a conscious thought, but the scarecrow of a man had been in the back of his mind recently. Ever since they told them he would never be whole again. 

Three days after the Queen’s restoration, after the royal family and its friends had taken temporary residence in whatever suitable building in the city they could find that hadn’t been about to collapse, Queen Lavender had sent for the best medics, scientists, and all the records on debrainment and rebrainment they could find. But after all that work, all the words, and all the hope they had instilled in his friend, it turned out that it just wasn’t possible to return his brain after so many annuals without too great of a risk of the surgery killing him. So all plans had been cancelled, and Glitch would be left without his brain. For reasons Cain couldn’t pinpoint, this angered him more than anything else had since he had met his friends. After all this time they had been in the dark they had found light at the end of the road. DG had her family and her rightful life back, Raw had found atonement from his tribe in the days following the witch’s defeat, and Cain had his son. But Glitch still had half a brain, and still smiled after the promises of a Queen whose name he only knew if someone reminded him had proven to be empty. Glitch still smiled and danced and talked animatedly about rhythm when he got the chance as he did tonight. And it made Cain happy, and awed, and sad, and angry all at the same time; because as remarkable as the jovial headcase was, he deserved better. 

“Cain feel—”

“Shut up.” 

A hairy hand that lacked its usual leather covering for the night made its way back to the mountain of cupcakes and the chocolate fountain, instead of continuing on its way to the former tin man’s shoulders. 

Cain noticed Glitch was making his way towards them now that he was without a dance partner. So he went for drink number three after tugging on the stiff collar that somehow seemed even tighter with the oddly elegant headcase’s approaching footsteps. 

“Raw, Cain!” he said when he reached them, “This is a great ball isn’t it? I’m having a blast,” he chuckled,

“Great food,” Raw agreed; great alcohol, Cain thought. 

“So...” Glitch pursed his delicate lips in a contemplative expression and glanced around at anything but them, suddenly nervous, “Would you guys like to dance?” he asked with a hopeful smile, “I know we’re all men but hey, we defeated an evil witch together, I don’t think a couple of rich old guys and politicians will care if we dance together.” His careful smile widened into a full grin at the thought and he unfurled his hands from behind his back.

“So, what do you say?”

“Glitch—” before he had a chance to say anything else, a distant glaze came over Glitch’s warm brown eyes and was almost instantly replaced with their usual bright spark once again.  
“Oh hi, Cain! Raw!” he looked down for half a second, almost seeming nervous again, then seemed to dismiss the thought altogether and looked back at them with a huge smile, “Wanna dance? I’ll lead, you guys follow!” 

This time he didn’t even give them the chance to make a choice, and simply took both Cain and Raw by the lapels of their jackets—almost empty cup of wine and half eaten croissant tumbling to the table as the few guests nearby exclaimed their annoyance—and dragged them towards the crowded dance floor. Glitch seemed to lead them to the very center of the ballroom before he stopped and took one of their hands in his own, and then spinning them and letting go, only to move to whatever music was playing on now, and then clasp their hands together again. He led them and twirled them in an odd three person dance for almost an entire minute before the viewer could take no more and drew his hairy hand from Glitch’s smooth and pale one to put it on his oblivious friend’s shoulder instead.

“Glitch glitched,” he said in his straightforward way, “Raw queasy.” and took his leave, leaving Cain alone with Glitch in the middle of the dance floor. 

“Oh... I glitched?” he asked Cain with a wide-eyed look, “What did I do this time, make a fool of myself dancing all alone in the middle of the party? Better that than being a wallflower I guess!”

“Actually,” Cain said, much more amused than annoyed by his friend’s optimism lately, “you just took Raw and me out to dance without even giving us a chance to say whether we wanted to or not. Poor viewer feels sick now.” 

“Oh, sorry!” Glitch smiled, but then turned serious as he looked around at just where they were, standing still in the center of the grand ballroom with the great magical chandelier directly above them, the dancing couples spinning all around them. 

“That means you didn’t want to dance...? I’m sorry,” he gave a weak chuckle, “I guess I’m more direct than I used to be when I had all my marbles. I bet Ambrose wouldn’t have done that.” 

“Then that would’ve been his loss,” Cain found himself saying before he lost his nerve, “because I did want to dance.”

Glitch’s deflated smiled rose to full capacity with his words as he threw himself at Cain and wrapped his arms around his neck. Cain took the impact that nearly made him crash against a couple behind him and wrapped his arms around Glitch’s lithe body to steady them both. 

“I’ve wanted to dance with you for so long,” Glitch said, only inches away from his face, “but I was afraid that if I just asked you, you’d say no... You really mean it, Cain? You wanted to dance?”

Saying he had been standing by the sidelines of what he had considered to be an almost pointless ball, secretly wanting to dance and waiting for the chance to do so would have been a lie. But... 

“I wanted to dance with you.” 

As if on cue, the casual party music ended and a softer, quieter tune began. Above them, the chandelier’s bright golden light dimmed down to only a few odd magic lights that shone through the crowd and illuminated the dancers below, highlighting figures and colors and seeming to make them glow; giving an ethereal and surreal look to the room. The lights caught on Glitch’s face and his deep crimson coat, a stark contrast to his own blue jacket, and Cain stared at the other man’s warm brown eyes that seemed even deeper and full of life in the strange magic lights. 

“I’ll lead, you follow,” he said as he adjusted his hold on Glitch. It was more like mellow moving in place than dancing, but neither of them was complaining. One of Cain’s arms moved over Glitch’s body, shifting down to wrap itself securely around the slighter man’s waist. His other hand reached up to touch Glitch’s cheek, thumb ghosting over his soft lips before Cain leaned in to kiss the man in his arms. 

It was brief and chaste, but once Cain pulled back, Glitch’s eyes were wider than ever and his mouth was fixed in a little “o”. 

“Did I just glitch? Did I just glitch? Did I just—” Cain decided to cut the loop with another kiss—this one not so quick and gentle, but not any less sweet than the first—and this time the zipperhead responded almost immediately, molding himself closer to him. Glitch was beginning to deepen the kiss even more with his agile mouth when Cain heard throats clearing and disapproving grunts around them. He couldn’t care less. 

But once they parted, he saw the Queen some strides away from them, a shocked expression on her face and a hand over her mouth. As good as this moment felt with Glitch in his arms maybe it’d be better if they continued this... whatever this was, somewhere else, in private. Just as well, because as the soft music played on, Glitch sighed happily but tiredly and laid his head on Cain’s shoulder. They kept up their smooth, almost-dance for a few more moments before Cain propped his chin on Glitch’s dark curls, right beside the zipper, and finally felt like it was time to wrap up this party.

“Tired, zipperhead?” he asked amusedly, lovingly tightening his grip around the man. The soft nod against the side of his neck, on a stiff collar that wasn’t so tight at all anymore, was the only signal he needed to disentangle them from their current position and take the former advisor’s hand. As he led their way out of the full ballroom he caught sight of DG dancing with Jeb, her arms around his neck, and the thumbs up she gave him when she saw him. 

He kept stealing glances at Glitch as they walked, as if he were a schoolgirl, and found his stomach in exhilarating knots every time he saw the contagious trademark smile. 

Cain thought he heard a faint, “...happy.” as they passed the long food and drinks table by the grand open doors, and then they were out. 

“Now what, tin man?” Glitch wiggled his eyebrows, weaving their intertwine fingers tighter as they walked through the castle.

“Bed.” Cain got to the point, “Your room or mine?”

“Well, you could’ve bought me dinner first!”

“I took you out to dance first.” 

Somewhere between light, affectionate touches and a fit of giggles, they ended up against a wall halfway between the ballroom and Glitch’s room. Cain placed his free hand on the back Glitch’s head to prevent to the zipper pull from pressing in against the wall, his other hand still in Glitch’s. After a peck on the lips he smiled and looked down at his friend’s—more than friend?—half-lidded eyes. 

“You know, I was serious about that bed, you look like you could use the rest.” 

“Fine, Cain,” he said with a mock pout, “but you owe me a date.” He smiled and winked cheekily, but then suddenly he gasped and frowned in pain. He drew the hand that wasn’t grasping Cain’s against his temple and let out a quiet groan. 

“Glitch? What is it, what’s wrong?” Cain looked him over, going from content to concerned in a second. 

“Mm, my head felt kinda weird for a moment there,” he let out a nervous laugh, “it passed though.”

Cain’s eyes narrowed as he took that in, “We should get Raw—”

“Oh, it’s fine! I’m sure he’s enjoying the party and doesn’t want to be bothered by us.”

“Glitch—” Soft lips on his own stopped what he was going to say next and then Glitch was sliding away from him and leading him down the hall. 

Glitch’s room was bigger and nicer but Cain’s was closer, so they ended up settling there for the night. Glitch did little else than shrug off his crimson coat and toe off his fine shoes before flopping down on the bed. Cain followed his example as far as the removal of formal attire went—even reaching to unbutton the dress shirt and finding several buttons mysteriously already undone—but settled down on the recliner on the other side of the night table instead. 

“Are you really going to stay there after all I had planned? Really, with how much rhythm you turned out to have I would have imagined your imagination would have been at least close to mine.”

“Did you have any of the wine, zipperhead?”

“Wyatt Cain, I am not drunk!” he said indignantly, even as he laughed,

“What would the Queen say?” Cain admonished, even as he climbed under the covers with Glitch. All jokes aside, Cain was glad when all Glitch did was give him a quick wayward kiss and curl up on his side. He was almost falling asleep when he felt Glitch jerk against his chest and heard another pained tiny gasp.

“Glitch...” Another weak groan...

“Okay, that’s it. I’m getting Raw.” He moved to stand but was stopped by Glitch’s hand on his arm.

“No! Just—stay with me... Please?”

Cain couldn’t say no to the pleading in those deep brown eyes. He sank back down on the bed behind Glitch and wrapped his arms around his middle. 

“How long have you been having headaches?” Cain asked after a while in the dark of the room; he realized they hadn’t even bothered with the lights upon entering, the light of the twin moons being enough to see by. 

“I’ve always had headaches.” Glitch said softly, already drifting into sleep.

Cain took one of Glitch’s smooth hands in his own and rubbed it tenderly with his thumb, willing himself not to feel angry; not right now. 

When did they start getting worse?, he wanted to ask, but the zipperhead’s steady breathing told him that he was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb his sleep or upset him anymore than he might have already been, Cain simply stayed where he was curled behind Glitch and didn’t move; not even to get the viewer whose opinion he desperately wanted to hear now.  
Whether he liked it or not, Raw had been right... He did think of Glitch, he cared about him, maybe even more than he wanted to admit to himself. Tomorrow he would get Raw, make Glitch better, make him laugh and smile that smile he had grown to love so much; he would take him out to that dinner, kiss him... and see where things went.

For tonight, though, it was enough to have him resting comfortably in his bed, wrapped in his arms.“Goodnight, sweetheart.”


	2. Chapter 2

The suns’ rays of light shining into the room through the open curtains woke Cain at some unspeakably late hour.  
He always liked to wake up early, before the second sun rose; sometimes even before the first. Waking up early let him take things slow, easy, and without formalities. Knowing there would be less people up and walking about the currently crowded base of operations also helped. Today though, Cain frowned drowsily with his eyes still closed, refusing to wake up just yet, at the thought of all the people who were surely already in the small castle’s common hall. Though he supposed that would be the price to pay for a good night’s rest.

Cain preferred to wake up early, but one of the reasons he rose at the earliest hours of the morning was because he couldn’t sleep, at least not deeply. He thought too much, about his past life fifteen annuals ago, about the last ten he had spent locked away from the world... about the last weeks and how so much had changed during that short time. Annuals ago, there had come a point while he was inside the suit when he simply gave up. He had stopped screaming his lungs out and banging his fists against the cold, unyielding interior of the iron suit, realizing his helplessness, his failure to change anything. Every time the painful looped scene flashed before his eyes, it was a bitter reminder of how impotent he had been at protecting the people he loved. Sometimes, when it was dark and he had only the moons’ light to see anything through the suit’s porthole, the projection still playing on and the tear tracks on his face denying to dry, a soft voice that sounded eerily like Adora tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault. But every time the loop began again, he felt his heart growing colder with every minute that passed watching his family get tortured. At some point, he had slumped back on the unforgiving metal and withdrawn into himself; the thought of vengeance being the only thing that kept him sane. 

And then they had found him. 

DG and Glitch had unlocked the suit and freed him from his prison. After finding Raw and assembling their ragtag little group Cain had gotten something he hadn’t had in a painfully long time: people. People he came to care about despite his initial antagonism against joining them. After losing his family and being alone for so long, the last thing he had wanted was useless people clinging to him like lost children. But those people he came to think of as friends had proven themselves time and time again from the moment they met to the day of the eclipse; even saved his life in more than one way. 

These thoughts kept Cain half-awake most nights, usually turning restlessly with the worst of them fresh in the front of his mind. But last night the best of those thoughts and memories had surfaced far above the others at the incitement of letting Glitch see a glimpse of how he felt.

Last night had been pleasantly different...

Glitch

Mind still foggy with the remnants of sleep, Cain hadn’t noticed that his friend was gone from his arms. He opened his eyes and saw the other side of the bed was empty, the cotton sheets rumpled. He reached out and placed his hand over them... still warm.

“Glitch?” he called out tentatively, lifting the covers and getting out of bed as he looked around the bedroom and out the open entrance into the adjacent room; no sign of Glitch. 

At first, Cain worried that Glitch had woken up during the night, that he had forgotten where he was and who he was with, then had left and gotten lost wandering around the castle. He inwardly cursed himself for being so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the empty space beside him. The bed was still warm, though, so he wondered for a moment if the other man had simply gotten up before him and gone back to his own chambers. But walking around the bed to exit the bedroom, he noticed Glitch’s formal clothes still on the floor. In fact, there were even more items of clothing scattered around than he had seen the previous night. He remembered Glitch taking off only his coat and shoes, but now he could also see his socks, tie, waistcoat, and trousers further from the bed. 

“Glitch?” he shouted more firmly, “Where are you, zipperhead?”

Cain walked into the other room and looked around. The gradually rising beat of his heart calmed down when he spotted Glitch sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the modest beige couch.

“Hey,” Cain said as he crossed the distance between them and knelt down in front of Glitch, 

As the discarded garments on the bedroom floor indicated, Glitch was wearing only his long white dress shirt, the sleeves carelessly pushed up to his elbows, and a pair of tight grey pants. He looked pale, somehow paler than usual if that was possible, and his eyes had that distant quality that marked the ongoing or imminent misfiring of synapses. 

“Glitch?” he said as he put a hand on his friend’s pale bare thigh, “you okay? Why didn’t you answer?”

His curly, zippered head snapped up then and the light returned to his eyes, “Oh, hi!” a smile, and then that look of confusion, “Do I know you?”

Having dealt with the question many times by now, Cain simply tapped one bare knee lightly and said, “Good morning, sweetheart.” 

“Cain! Oh...” he made a sheepish face, “I glitched again, didn’t I?”

“Don’t worry about it,” for now, that last part was left unsaid as he sat down on the floor next to Glitch. Glitches were inevitable, they would always happen eventually, but Cain found that they came more often when Glitch had been too stressed or tense either mentally or physically. He also remembered his headaches and odd flashes of pain last night, and still fully intended to take him to Raw so the viewer healed him in any way he could. But first they had to wash up and dress, get some breakfast, start the day... right now, though, he just wanted to sit here with Glitch.

“What are you doing out here? For a moment there I was worried you were walking around the building in nothing but your underwear and scaring the maids to death.”

“Well, that would’ve been embarrassing,” he scoffed, “I just woke up a while ago and thought I’d make us some tea. But then I checked and realized you don’t have any tea...” 

Cain wondered just how long Glitch had been awake and why he hadn’t returned to bed, when Glitch made to stand and looked down apologetically at him.

“I should probably go now,”

“What?” he frowned, “You don’t have to leave. Stay,” He wanted to reach out to Glitch and stop him, hold his hand again like he had last night, maybe even stay in the room all day, but he was already on his feet. 

“I’d love to but it’s almost noon—at least I think it’s almost noon—and we have things to do. We have things to do. We have things—” 

A knock on the door stopped Glitch’s incessant glitching before Cain could, and even though right now he resented the fact that they had to get moving, he knew it was true. 

“Things to do... Alright,” Cain said as he stood up and put his arms loosely around Glitch, “will you meet me later for dinner, then? I still owe you that date.”

“Sure thing, tin man,” he said playfully, then seemed to contemplate something for a moment, “And then we can go for a walk in the city? It’s been ages since I walked around freely here and was actually able to enjoy it. At least I think so... And it’s not like any of us have gotten much free time and fresh air in the last week. You could probably use the break too,” he smiled sweetly, “We can go to the park! I’ve heard the kitchen staff say they’re showing off the greatest fireworks display the O.Z. has seen in decades there. It’ll be fun.”

“Okay then, dinner and a show it is.” Cain’s mind whirled at how he would use the time this night to express himself to Glitch. There were so many things he wanted to say but didn’t know how, things he hadn’t even allowed himself to think of directly in this moment when the Kingdom had to come first. Tonight though, after he and Glitch had done the duties that usually kept them apart during the day, they would have a chance to work on themselves. 

Leaning in closer to Glitch, Cain was about to give him an innocent morning kiss when the sound of sharp knocks broke through the room.

“You should probably get that,” Glitch said as he slid his hands up Cain’s arms, 

“I’ll get it in just a moment,” They met halfway, mouths crashing together while the incessant knocking went unanswered as mere background noise. Thin fingers skittered through Cain’s short blond hair and Glitch parted his lips slightly to deepen the kiss. They found themselves in almost exactly the previous night’s position with the exception of privacy and all the time in the world. 

Or the illusion of privacy and all the time in the world, as the knocking at the door seemed to want to remind them.

Cain reluctantly broke the kiss and turned toward the door, “I’ll be right there!” he barked, knowing it could be something of importance.

“Boy, they’re about to tear your door down, aren’t they?” Glitch said, though the snarky quality of his remark was somewhat lost with how blushed and breathless he was.

“So,” Cain looked back at him, “dinner and a show?”

“Perfect!” He didn’t look so deathly pale anymore, there was a healthy faint pink hue to his cheeks—though that was more due to kissing a minute ago than anything else—and Cain was also glad to note that the faraway look was gone for now and he seemed more alert and at ease.

“And Cain?” 

“Yes?” 

“About last night...” Glitch started, biting his bottom lip, “and, well, this,” he said, gesturing with a tilt of his head at their joined stance, “...I just want to know—”

Another bout of knocking interrupted him and Cain looked back and glared cold daggers at the door as if that would scare away whoever was on the other side.

“Mr. Cain?” the knocking continued now, the envoy’s patience having run thin,

“I’ll be right back,” he told Glitch and went to the door; he almost wanted to say “hold that thought” but with friend’s condition that might have been insensitive. Cain still marveled at how much he had been caring about being sensitive lately.

“Mr. Cain—” The man, or more accurately boy, outside the room was young and had a perfect characteristically military posture; Cain remembered seeing him among the members of the resistance. 

“What is it, kid?”

“The Queen demands your presence in the throne room...” he opened his mouth and started relaying the message in a confident and practiced toned, but trailed off with a small frown as he caught sight of Cain and the inside of his room. With a silent groan, Cain realized he was still in some of last night’s clothes—they were bedraggled and his shirt was partly undone—and Glitch, less than half dressed and just as disheveled, just happened to be visible from where the kid was standing out in the hallway.

“...as soon as possible.” The young messenger finished. As in now, said the look he gave Cain. 

“Got it—thanks,” Cain said bluntly, before letting the door fall shut on the kid’s face. He almost felt bad, after all, it wasn’t the kid’s fault, but he remembered last night’s events and had an idea of why the Queen wanted to see him.

He made his way back to Glitch, who seemed to be buttoning up his own fairly undone shirt.  
“Okay, what were you saying?”

“Hmm?” he looked up from his task, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. Well, it does! But nothing we can’t talk about over dinner. Besides, the Queen wants to see you; must be pretty important.” He stood a little away from him, his brown eyes lowering in thought for a moment before settling on Cain’s, “It’s just... what exactly are we doing...? Last night was great but—did you mean it? And if you did, what did you mean? You know what I mean? I just want to know where this is going?” he said uncertainly, “If it’s going anywhere?”

“Do you want it to?”

“Do you?” Glitch asked with an expectant expression,

“I don’t know how to answer that yet, sweetheart,” Cain said honestly. He knew he had feelings for Glitch, he knew that he cared about him in a way that was somehow different from how he cared about his other friends, he knew there was a moment last night that had been amazing and something he had wanted to do for a long time. But he didn’t know if that magical moment had been an impulsive display induced by the music and the bright lights, or if it was what he hoped was something much deeper that they both wanted. However, in Cain’s mind, figuring these things out was what dates were for.

“Whatever the answer to that question is, though,” he continued as he closed the distance between them, “we can have a talk and find out together tonight at dinner. Meet me at seven in the entrance hall?”

Glitch nodded, “It’s a date! ...Is it though?” 

“Yes.” Cain said sincerely. 

Eventually they had to move from their spot in front of the couch and get going. Glitch walked away barefoot and returned to the bedroom to collect his discarded clothes and shoes, putting on his pinstriped dark trousers and socks, and gathering the rest in his arms, before joining Cain at the doorway. 

“Well,” Glitch said perkily, “See you later!” then darted down the corridor toward his own room. Cain fretted briefly over the thought of Glitch making his way back to his room on his own while he seemed more glitch-prone than usual, but at this hour of the day there were so many people walking down the halls from one place to another that he was sure his headcased friend wouldn’t run into trouble. Glitch stopped an instant later though, and swiftly turned back around to give Cain a last goodbye kiss, putting a hand behind his neck as he held his tousled bunch of clothes against his own chest. 

“We really do need to have that talk,” Glitch bit his bottom lip ruefully and was scurrying back down the hall in a second as if he hadn’t turned around at all; leaving a flushed and open-mouthed Cain alone in the middle of the hallway. 

After going back inside and taking a much needed cold shower, Cain found himself back in that same hallway, heading towards the throne room. Some flights of stairs later on a landing along the way, he bumped into DG, who was wearing her usual casual clothes—tailored after the ones she had brought from the Otherside—instead of the billowing dresses befitting a princess. 

“Morning, Cain,” DG said as she stepped down the last stair and met him on the landing, 

“DG,” he returned the gesture, tipping his hat—which was gratefully was back where it belonged.

“Didn’t see you at breakfast a few hours ago... or Glitch,” she snickered through that last part with an impish grin.

“Careful, princess,” Cain mock-glared at her, “and wipe that smirk off your face.”

“Nah really,” she rolled her bright blue eyes, “it was very cute. I’m glad for you guys.”

“We actually haven’t quite figured it out ourselves yet.” He failed to mention they were going out tonight, just to avoid the young princess’s offhanded comments about it being “cute”. He could almost hear Glitch in the back of his mind talking about his masculinity issues and saying he needed professional help. 

“Hey DG, have you seen Raw around?”

“Raw? Nope, not since last night at the ball... Why do you ask?”

“Last night after Glitch and I left, we were in one of the hallways—get your mind out of the gutter, kid—and he... wasn’t feeling that well. He was having weird flashed of headaches.” 

Cain frowned at the memory of his pained face, “I wanted to hear what Raw thought, or felt, about it I guess. And see if there was anything he could do to help.”

“Oh, that sucks.” DG winced at the knowledge, “I did notice he was sort of glitching a little more than usual the last couple of days...”

“I noticed that too.” Cain nodded grimly in agreement, “Just let me know if you see Raw. Right now I have to go meet your mother.”

“Sure, he’s probably just under a food comma in some corner of this place, I’ll look for him.” She strolled past him and resumed her walk down the next flight of stairs as he moved on up the next. “And ha! Good luck with her, Wyatt; you’re probably about to get the “don’t hurt him or I’ll kill you painfully and slowly” talk from the Queen of the O.Z.” 

Well that was a comforting thought. 

 

The Queen’s temporary throne room in the borrowed castled was as vast and regal as anything befitting a monarch should be.

Even though a messenger had been sent specifically to tell him he was requested in her Majesty’s presence immediately, Cain found himself waiting with nothing else to do but admire the decor. There was a plain looking chair for him to sit in directly in front of the imposing throne, but it looked so much like where one would sit a defendant in trial that he remained standing. Both he and the chair looked out of place and bare in contrast to the sophisticated details in the rest of the room. There were elaborate carvings on the pillars lined on either side across the entirety of the enormous place, and each one was further adorned with an array of flowers that painted the throne room in all sorts of colors.

On the raised steps beside the throne, was a small table with a tea kettle along with a couple of cups, and an assortment of biscuits, fruits, and things that could be considered something like high society snacks. 

Cain was about to start counting how many green tiles were on the marble floor when thankfully the Queen herself entered the grand chamber and sat down in front of him.

“Mr. Cain, how are you this morning?” she asked in her deceptively gentle cordial tone,  
“It’s still morning?” 

“Indeed it is, though you almost missed it” She took the cup and saucer on the small table beside her and poured herself some tea, “Would you like some? ...Or something to eat? I noticed you and Ambrose were absent at breakfast earlier this morning.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Cain shifted uncomfortably, “Is there any particular reason you asked to see me, your highness?” 

“Of course,” she took a sip of her tea, “Did you enjoy the ball last night, Mr. Cain?”

“I did, your highness,” Cain said warily,

“And I believe I saw you with my dear Ambrose?” she prompted, raising a delicate eyebrow,

“I’m sorry, but if there’s anything you want to tell me, you’ll have to be more direct,” Cain said, looking at Lavender straight in the eyes and dropping the formalities. In another time, he would have probably been thrown in the dungeon for a few days for snapping at the Queen like that. But in the newly restored O.Z., he had worked and lived beside the royal family in the short time since they had taken back their rightful place; and if the Queen insisted on trying to get involved in his personal business he would be nothing but crude with her, and he expected her to understand where he was coming from.

And hopefully not throw him in the dungeon anyway.

“Alright then,” she dropped the docile facade, “I saw the two of you kiss in a rather verging on indecent manner and then leave the ball early.”

“And?” He was really pushing his luck now.

“And,” she said, taking the long knife from the table and slicing a pastry into tiny pieces, “I just wouldn’t want you to... mislead my dear friend.”

“Mislead him?” Cain said crossly, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s been through so much...” she said in a sorrowful tone, the look she was giving Cain menacingly fierce, “On his own for so long. I don’t want him to be taken into something he does not want just because he thinks he’ll never get any other chance.”

The Queen drew a sharp breath, “Have you—”

“No.” Cain said quick, hearing her tone and noting that mother and daughter might be more alike than he thought when it came to interpreting information.

“Well, that’s not all, Mr. Cain.” She raised her chin and looked down at him, “I was told you were married once...” she chose her words carefully, “to a woman.” 

Cain sighed silently as he thought over what he would say next, “I don’t care what he is... I just care about him—your highness.”

She seemed to mull this over in silence as she drank the rest of her tea, then she put the cup on the saucer with a definitive clink that sounded deafeningly loud in the quiet throne room. 

“Alright, Mr. Cain, I will give you a chance... I can trust you will take care of my friend?”

“He’s my friend too,” Cain said with a heartfelt nod and a formal bow,

“Good,” Queen Lavender said, the placid demeanor returning to her features, “I would accept nothing less. Of course, you know what would happen if for some reason you broke this vow, yes?” 

And there was the “I will kill you slowly” part.

“Of course,” As scared as someone in his position might—probably should—be, Cain couldn’t help but like the Queen if she was so protective of Glitch.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, your highness, I need to go find Raw.”

“Emissary Raw is on a mission south of the papay fields to gather more viewers from his tribe who are willing to come to the City and help. He left about an hour ago and won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh.”

“What business did you have with the viewer?”

Cain tried to stall as he thought of something to tell her other than Glitch not being well. But luckily an older resistance member, from the looks of it a former tin man just like himself, barging into the throne room got him out of having to answer for the moment. 

However, the news he brought were anything but lucky.

“Your highness,” he said as he bowed before Queen Lavender, “a group of alchemists and longcoats have escaped from the dungeons in the tower.”


	3. Chapter 3

The great bells of Central City's clock tower resonated through the spacious throne room, each grave stroke marking noon as Cain took in what he had just heard.

A group of alchemists and longcoats have escaped.

"Was Zero among them?" the Queen said before he could,

"No, your majesty," the other man said, "but the alchemist Raynz and two of the top longcoats after Zero are amid the fugitives. We have reports from the security at the tower that it seems they stole something before they left. We believe they escaped sometime in the last three days so they may already be in the city or near it."

"Are they armed? How the hell did they escape?" Cain demanded furiously. As relieved as he was by the fact that Zero was still in his dark cell—right where they had left him after getting him from the suit when the battle was over—he still bitterly remembered Raynz, the man who had taken Glitch's brain. After retaking the tower from the witch's rule, they had taken the time to destroy anything that could be harmful to the O.Z. and save and transport anything of importance to where they were staying at the city, including Glitch's brain. Now, it was stored safely in one of the castle's rooms for when Glitch connected to it to work; and the thought of Raynz being in the city and anywhere near it or Glitch made Cain's blood boil.

"How the hell did it take them three days to figure out they were gone?"

"We don't know..." the messenger said, slightly taken aback by Cain's outburst, "The guards aren't sure what it was they took from the witch's stockrooms either, so they might be armed. We didn't know they were missing from their cells until now because they used a holographic projector to make it seem like they were still there."

That thing... Cain remembered with loathing, grasping without success at the overly complicated acronym.

"Wherever they are," Queen Lavender finally spoke again, "I want you to find them and capture then immediately, gentlemen. Mr. Walker, take your best men and search the woods outside Central City. Mr. Cain, gather your best men as well and be on the lookout for the escapees on the streets in case they are already here." She waved a hand gracefully and dismissed them.

"Yes, your highness," Cain and the other man, Walker, responded in unison to their respective orders before bowing and leaving the throne room.

***

In one of the highest floors of the castle, Glitch stood before the missing half of himself in the new brain room.

Kalm was by his side, one hand on his shoulder and one reaching out to the bubbling tank, helping him connect with—well, himself. Since it was Ambrose's marbles that possessed some of the most important knowledge for putting the O.Z. back together again and making it a better place, Raw had been helping Glitch find that information within his mind. Today, though, Raw was away. And Kalm, wanting to be as brave and helpful as his guardian had become, volunteered to help Glitch in the older viewer's absence.

Glitch had his eyes his eyes shut tight as the rush of Ambrose's memories surged through his head. This was always the best and the worst part. During his sessions with Raw, he would usually navigate around the sea of synapses that did fire right—his brain was quite the thinker!—until he found what they were looking for. Today, it was being rather difficult. 

Glitch couldn't find his other half's voice and instead, alchemists, longcoats, mobats, and even the evil witch herself flashed in front of his vision as seen by Ambrose. Well—he couldn't see them of course, he had no eyes; he was a brain! But he had seen whatever the old viewer he had been attached to, Lylo, had seen...

Azkadellia, possessed by the evil witch, paced back and forth in front of the glowing tank.

"And you're sure you can extract all his memories..." she asked, casting a glance at the brain, "All his ideas?"

"Yes," Raynz said with a creepy grin, "With the creature here we can tap directly into his mind. Everything he knows, we know. And once we've connected him to the machine, he'll be able to run it for us. As you can see, sorceress, Ambrose here is a fine—

"—Apple! Oh I haven't seen such shiny apples in a long time!" Glitch was in a clearing surrounded by beautiful trees that seemed to hold the juiciest apples he had ever seen. He went to grab one from the closest tree. But as soon as his hand touched the red apple, the tree moved. Suddenly there were half a dozen apple trees mercilessly throwing their fruit at him as he tried to escape.

_"Ow, that hurts!"Glitch ran around with his hands above his head and tried to—_

_"—Stay alive." Ambrose finished, communicating through a tired viewer._

_"And this would be indefinitely?" the longcoat asked,_

_"Yes, as long as the suit was functional and not damaged, it would keep the prisoner alive, conscious, and in the exact same state he was in when he was imprisoned; if the suit was_ completely  intact," the oblivious mind in a tank repeated.

"Perfect—

—Aim, Glitch thought as he rubbed a sore spot on his arm that was sure to be bruised. Well, at least he had lunch! He picked up one of the many scattered apples around him and polished it with the end of his sleeve. At least he wouldn't have to—

Wait a minute... This was definitely not Ambrose's memory.

"Glitch?" Kalm's small voice cut through the thought,

"Um," he laughed self-consciously, "I guess sometimes my memories get into the mix—sometimes my memories get into the mix."

Kalm squeezed his shoulder and closed his eyes as he resumed the connection and chased the rabbit.

"You'll never catch us!" DG's thrilled cry rang through the garden.

"Yes I will if you keep broadcasting your location like that every few minutes!" Ambrose called back and kept counting, "96, 97, 98, 99—

"98, 97, 96—

"Stop!" Glitch's eyes snapped open and he took a shaky step back as he stared at his brain. All of his jumbled memories had led them to that memory. Kalm looked equally shaken and he instantly felt bad for putting the young viewer through that.

"Oh, Kalm," he tut, "I'm sorry! We should have waited for Raw. You're just a kid; you should be out having fun! Not here in this stuffy, dull brain room."

As if to help his case, the tank discharged a few awkward bubbles.

"You're sure?" he asked uncertainly, "You okay?"

"As okay as a crow-less orchard!" Glitch assured him, smiling like his usually chirpy self. It took some more convincing and talk about how good it would feel to be out in the afternoon sun and smell the spring flowers, but eventually Kalm gave in and left to play in a less gloomy part of the palace.

As soon as he was gone, Glitch sank down to the floor with his back against the glowing green tank. Memories weren't usually part of his sessions with Raw, but sometimes they inevitably flashed by. It was great when he got to see some small piece of his past as Ambrose; that was the best part of this. Seeing that memory, though; that was the worst part. Glitch buried his face in his hands and wondered why his head hurt so much all of a sudden. With a groan, he drew his knees up and curled further into himself in pain. But a moment later the feeling was gone, and he had forgotten why he was on the floor and why there were tears in his eyes.

***

For a moment, Cain was surprised that it had only taken less than five hours to round up all the fugitives and capture them.

After his audience with the Queen, he had headed outside the castle with Jeb and other former rebels in tow. He had divided his team into smaller groups and mapped out the routs each of them would patrol while his son handed out their weapons. Once everyone knew their place, they had split and scattered throughout the streets. Cain, Jeb, and three others made up the group that guarded the sector closest to the castle. 

They had walked the streets of the city under the O.Z.’s scorching suns and within a couple hours had four stumbling badly disguised longcoats in their handcuffs; however they had escaped, they certainly hadn’t had a good plan for being on the run. The other groups had had similar success across other parts of the city, and after a quick check with the guards back at the tower they had confirmed that, between both of the divisions in the city and in the fields, they had caught all that had escape.

In total, there had only been a dozen renegade longcoats on the run, though how that many had escaped in the first place was still under investigation.

“That’s the last of them.” Jeb called out as he hit the back of the truck before it drove away, taking the prisoners back to their tower. He made his way over to Cain, looking warily side to side at the small crowd that had gathered to watch the arrests. 

“What about the alchemists?” Cain asked tightly when his son was within hearing distance.

“One of our messengers just told me that Walker’s men caught them with the group of longcoats they found near the orchards. There were just two.” 

Cain nodded, “Good.” He tried not to let it show on his face, keeping a professional mask of stoicism, but he was relieved they had been that far away from the city; and that he hadn’t been the one to get his hands on them.

“What about what they stole from the tower?” He recalled the other matter at hand as they walked back to where the other officers and cars were doing crowd control, “Did they find it?”

“No,” Jeb said slowly, “They still don’t know what it was but the men at the tower are on it.”

For a brief beat, Cain felt like he was back on his tin man duties from over a decade ago; those short, active annuals after leaving the Mystic Man but before joining the resistance. Then he realized just who it was that was relaying information to him and it made him think of how far they had all come. His son was a grown and capable man, and would soon leave him behind in the dust as it seemed. He smiled faintly at the thought, realizing that times were changing in the O.Z. and that after things were stable again there was nothing he wanted more than to finally step back and enjoy his time with those he loved. But only when their work was done. 

Now that all the longcoats had been packed into the trucks and sent back to the tower, the crowd was moving on and the rebels turned tin men were heading out as well.

This afternoon had just been another day in the restoration of the O.Z.; and as he and Jeb took one of the waiting cars and drove back to the palace, Cain wondered idly what Glitch had been doing today.


	4. Chapter 4

At a quarter to seven, Cain put the last of his reports down and called it a day.

He put everything on his desk away and locked the door to his small office as he headed out. The place they had given him to work with when he wasn't out in the field was right above his room, so he had time to run down for a quick, calming shower and a change of clothes. Though short-lived, the tepid water helped sooth his nerves as it trickled down his body and the thought of seeing Glitch made him more earnest than anxious.

He made it to the entrance hall just as the grandfather clock at the back of the room stroke seven. At this time of night mostly everyone who resided in the palace was elsewhere, tending to matters far more bureaucratic than hunting down longcoats and filling reports of the fact. The place, deserted as it was at the moment, was as spacious and finely furnished as every other room in the palace, and perfectly symmetrical with a couple of marble pillars flanking the double grand staircase in the far center. Two elegantly crafted fireplaces glowed at each end of the hall; above both roaring fireplaces was an imprint of one of the suns in marble, etched into the large frame. There were also portraits of old monarchs and nobles lining the walls, though none of the current Queen. It was all very lavish and once again Cain caught himself thinking that if this was only the Central City Palace he couldn't imagine what the Northern Island Palace would be like when it was restored.

Once again he was reminded of how out of place he felt here when he wasn't on the job, that he didn't really belong in this world of castles and formal balls; and that Glitch did. Even headcased, it was clear that this was Glitch's place—had been all his life—and Cain wondered what that might mean for the future; he couldn't exactly picture himself in palace life...

But no, he was getting ahead of himself, uncharacteristically losing track of his thoughts and letting them go on tangents that he hadn't dared think about for annuals. Simple, normal things like where he would live and who he would be with in the near future. For once in the last eight annuals he was allowing himself to think of these things and it scared him.

Running a hand through his hair, he stopped that train of thought before it got any farther. Tonight was for Glitch. And if he was lucky, he would sort these things out with his friend's help.

Glitch, however, was nowhere in sight yet, and Cain stood for a moment at the foot of the stairs awkwardly admiring the carpet. He was giving the zipperhead the benefit of the doubt instead of immediately assuming he had forgotten about their date. But when the hour grew closer to eight than to seven and Glitch still hadn't appeared, Cain started to fret. As he scampered back up the stairs to search for Glitch, who surely couldn't be working at this hour without Raw, every worry from a bad glitch to cold feet flashed through his mind. He had just gotten to the top of the stairs and turned the left corner when Glitch's lithe but solid figure crashed right into him.

"Oof!" Glitch's expressive face scrunched up and he rubbed his nose with one hand before he looked up at him and his eyes widened, "Oh, Cain!"

"Hey there, zipperhead." Cain said, letting his arms fall from where they had reflexively grabbed Glitch's shoulders, and rubbed his sore jaw, "Nice to see you too this fine evening."

"I didn't forget!" he said quickly, then amended, his voice growing fast and keen without missing a beat or taking a breath, "Well I did, I was doing something this afternoon... I don't remember what—But then I got back to my room and I found all the post-it notes—you know, the little sticky papers DG gave me—that I made this morning to remind myself I was suppose to meet you here at seven. So then I jumped in the bath but it was so relaxing that I forgot why I jumped in the first place. And then when I got out I saw the post-it's again, and by then it was really late. But I got dressed and here I am. Sorry." He finished with an apologetic smile and his arms outstretched to his sides, then took a huge breath and let it out.

Cain couldn't help but smile back as he looked down at him. He was dressed simply, in only black slacks and a white shirt—of which at least two of the top buttons were in the wrong hole—under a deep chestnut coat.

"It's okay, Glitch. Really." he said, stepping sideways, "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Glitch gave him one of his brilliant smiles and they headed down the stairs and out the palace together.

The lights of the bustling buildings and the tall street lamps were their only illumination as they walked through the palace grounds into the city. The first moon was out but obscured by dark, billowing clouds. And before they had made it anywhere close to the restaurant Cain had had in mind, or even the city square, they could hear the low rumble of imminent thunder.

"Um," Glitch said, touching Cain's arm and looking up, "Do you think it's going to-?"

He was cut off by the sudden but not surprising clap of thunder and the downpour that followed. The night air went from dry and cool to drenched and ice cold when the rain fell on them all at once, as if some god had decided to throw a bucket of freezing water at them. Glitch yelped and laughed as they tried to cover themselves as best they could while running to the nearest shelter across the street. He took a wrong step and stumbled on the last stride, and would have fallen face first onto the cobblestones had it not been for Cain's quick, steadying arm.

"Careful, sweetheart."

"I'm fine." Glitch muttered, blushing as he opened the door in front of them.

To their luck, the establishment seemed to be a small diner—one of those quiet, local places where there were only ever a few regulars—and Cain was secretly pleased. A young woman tending tables was surprised when she saw them enter and recognized who they were. She quickly led them to a booth in a private corner by the window and offered them menus. Cain watched as Glitch vaguely eyed it before tossing it aside and looking up at the girl when his face seemed to light up with an idea.

"Oh, do you have muglug?"

"Yes, we do." Their waitressed nodded shortly as she took out a pen and pad,

"Then I'll have that!" Glitch said with an eager but wistful smile, then turned to Cain, "Cain?"

"I'll have the same," he said as he handed the menus back, "I've never tried muglug. Don't see why not do it now."

"Right away."

They were left alone with the sound of heavy rain as she left with their order, and Glitch jabbered about muglug until he was stopped by an abrupt sneeze.

They had been lucky enough to run into the right place but not enough to make it without getting drenched.

"The one night I go out without my hat." Cain said with mock annoyance that he wasn't really feeling. Their drinks, an ale that Glitch assured him was traditionally served with muglug to compliment the taste, arrived before the aforementioned soup just as the rainstorm outside seemed to get more intense.

"Hmm," Glitch hummed casually as he looked out the window, "You know, for some reason I don't think we'll be seeing fireworks tonight."

Cain felt the urge to promise that he would just have to take Glitch out another time, but they both laughed despite being soaking wet and their night not going exactly as planned.

"Is that—is that hail?" Glitch asked through a fit of giggles,

"It was sunny today, for the gods' sake!" Cain shook his head and took a drink from his glass to hide his smile at the ridiculousness of the situation. He had been planning to take Glitch out to some fancy crowded restaurant and somehow tell him he loved him, but instead they were in a plain diner talking about the weather; and one way or another it was all fine, just because he was with him.

"It's like even the O.Z.'s weather is topsy-turvy lately..." Glitch said, his voice taking a suddenly quiet bittersweet tone as he kept looking out the window.

When the two steaming bowls of muglug arrived, however, Glitch's face lit up like it was Christmas as he breathed in the spicy smell. He picked up his spoon, only to immediately put it down and grab the ceramic dish in both hands instead, taking a swig directly from the bowl.

"Mm..." Glitch sighed happily, "I haven't had muglug in...annuals."

"Isn't it too hot?" Cain asked, ignoring Glitch's commonplace lapse of memory as he took his own bowl in his hands to follow Glitch's example.

Glitch shook his head slightly, "It's perfect!"

The taste of it hit Cain as he tilted the bowl and drank. Whatever otherworldly ingredients that were in muglug seemed to have the perfect chemistry to mesh in his mouth like nothing he had ever tasted before. It was hot, but not unbearably so, and it pleasantly warmed his throat as it went down.

They tried talking about easy, casual things for a while as they ate their impromptu meal; until eventually the topic of their jobs came up.

"So how did your day go?" Glitch asked before taking a drink.

It was an innocent enough question but they both knew what they days entailed now that the witch was gone, and Cain told him about the runaway alchemists and longcoats and how they had recaptured them all. At first Glitch looked a little startled that it could have been so easy for them to escape without anyone noticing, but he quickly changed attitudes and smirked at Cain.

"I don't know why you don't let me go out there with you, Cain. Just because I'm a headcase doesn't mean I couldn't help you guys kick some longcoat ass."

"As much as I love your dancing skills, I doubt they'd be very useful against guns, sweetheart."

"Well, I still want to help... Just to know you're okay."

"That's actually the same reason I'd rather you stayed in the palace." Cain said softly, slipping his hand into Glitch's across the table.

"You know, this need of yours to do everything yourself and save the world alone while protecting others is all indicative of—"

"Why don't we leave your psychology lessons for at least the fourth or fifth date?"

"...I'll hold you to that." Glitch said as a small smile curved his lips.

"What about you?" Cain asked as he went to drink what was left of his muglug, "What did you do today?"

"Well, after I left your room this morning I went to the brain room and Kalm tried to help me connect to Ambrose but it wasn't really working and then..." He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, then repeated the same loop before gazing away sheepishly, looking embarrassed that he had glitched and forgotten.

"It's okay... Glitch," Cain said hesitantly, "are you alright?"

Glitch's eyes drifted back to him, a small frown and an uncertain smile on his face, "What do you mean? I'm fine."

"You were having headaches last night?" Cain prompted,

"I've always—"

"Had headaches, I know. But I had never seen you like you were last night... I just wanted to make sure."

"I haven't had more though, I think." he tried to shrug it off, "And I feel fine, Cain, honestly."

Before either of them could say anything more, Glitch's hands shot up to cover another sneeze.

"But I might be getting a bit of a cold," he laughed, "We should probably get out of these wet clothes."

"That's a good idea."

Once they had both finished their dinner and paid the bill, they slipped out of the little cozy diner and into the street on their way home. Somehow the sudden storm had lessened in the time they were inside and was now down to a harmless drizzle that they mostly ignored. Cain wasn't nearly as good with words as he'd like to be sometimes, so he focused his affection on touch, holding Glitch close as they walked.

In the palace, everything was just as still as they had left it, the only sounds or movements they were aware of were their own as they strode through the halls with the same yearning of the previous night. Except this time they did reach Glitch's room and managed to lock the door behind them.

"I know tonight didn't go as planned," Cain said in a low voice, leaning closer, "But I hope it wasn't meaningless?"

Glitch smiled and shook his head lightly, "Oh just come here."

Locking his arms around Cain's neck, Glitch kissed him passionately and told him everything they hadn't said aloud through the kiss. Cain kissed him back just as deeply, hands slipping under the chestnut coat and pushing it off as he led them back toward the bedroom with clumsy steps. But still, they fell back onto the bed without breaking contact once.

When they eventually had to break apart for breath, Cain shifted to kiss Glitch's neck and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. Under him, Glitch was squirming and making keen little noises until they came to a sudden stop and Cain felt him go rigid.

"Glitch?" he looked up in concern and saw his pale face twisted in pain and his eyes shut tight.

"Damn it." Cain swore under his breath, already moving to get out of the bed and use the phone in the other room to call for a doctor. With everything that had gone on during the day and his own senseless nerves about tonight, the possibility of another bout of headaches had nearly escaped Cain's mind. Whatever it was that had made Glitch stop him from getting Raw last night didn't seem to factor in now, because Glitch wasn't objecting this time and merely let him go before turning sideways on the bed. Before leaving the room, Cain cast another quick worried glance at him and put one of his hands on top of Glitch's at his temple, only now realizing how hot his skin was.

He was too quiet. His cheeks were flushed and his eyelids fluttered in a blind daze. But Cain's alarm only grew when Glitch arched up with a sharp gasp and started convulsing uncontrollably. Rushing forward and kneeling next to him, all Cain could do was restrain him as best he could without hurting him and yell for help as Glitch thrashed on the bed.


End file.
